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This post isn’t about the 2002 film of the same name but it’s a horror story just the same: Spiders may be your projectors worst enemy. No this isn’t a gag or a huge head-start on an elaborate April fool’s joke, I’m unfortunately suffering from this very problem right now. About a week ago we fired up the projector to watch a movie and my first thought was “damn that piece of hair caught in the transfer, is in every frame”. Well of course as it turns out, this wasn’t part of the transfer and it wasn’t someones hair.

I seem to have a spider web hanging somewhere between the optical engine and lens assembly of my projector and oh boy is it annoying. I’ve got a nice dark line hanging from the top left down to the bottom right of my image on-screen. My purpose here wasn’t to lament my arachnid issue but to hopefully give a few pointers to keep the same from happening to you (pointers I obviously forgot to use myself).

First of all, for the majority of us, it’s extremely hot outside right now and we’re not the only ones suffering from the heat. All sorts of creepy crawlies and alike are trying to find shelter from the heat and this most assuredly goes for insects. As these spiders, flies, and other assorted nuisances make their way inside, there are a few things we can do to try and deter them from making their way into our electronics; specifically inside out, front, and rear projection displays.

Use it or lose it, ok lose it may be a bit strong but turning on your display even for a few minutes can deter bugs from turning your projector into insect condo. This might not be of much concern if your display gets a regular work out, but one that sits idle for long periods of time may be more susceptible to insect infestation. If you’re planning on being away for a week or longer (after all it is vacation time for many) a plastic bag tapped around the projector might look strange, but not as strange as coming back with a spider web sprawled across your screen.

From there the obvious things (and not so obvious, Hedgeapples?) like keeping the area around the display as clean as possible and even a little preventative application of bug repellent around (but not on) the display may serve as a deterrent as well. But I guess my biggest piece of advice is just to keep an eye out for an increased presence of ants, spiders, or insects in general. If these nuisances start appearing in your home, keep a watchful eye on your electronics.

All of this may sound a bit humorous (trust me if it wasn’t happening to me I’d find it humorous as well) but I doubt you’ll be laughing at the repair bill if one of these critters gets lodged deep enough into your display that a bit of compressed air won’t clean them out. For what it’s worth if I can’t pluck out this spider web on my own, I could be looking at a $150 minimum repair, and up to $548 repair (out of warranty) if the damage is more severe. I’ve got my work cut out for me this evening, wish me luck. Speaking of luck, the site may be out off and on this weekend for upgrades.